Welcome back, Vine. YouTube has outlined a change to its ad-friendly policies around profanity, now allowing users to monetise their videos if they use strong profanity. Previously, using strong profanity repeatedly and within the first seven seconds of a video would result in limited ads running on that video.
Moderate profanity has always been allowed, but now you should be able to sprinkle in your harsher words throughout a video and at the start without sacrificing ad revenue as a creator. As explained in a new YouTube update from Creator Insider, initially the change around seven seconds was made so advertisers could distance their content from the swearing.
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Moderate profanity includes words like bitch, while stronger profanity includes words like fuck. The kind, bearded YouTube man didn't give more details, but you can imagine what else comes under strong profanity with that example.
Some creators aren't fully convinced, though. "This 7-second rule is feeling like smoke and mirrors. YouTube's policies are unclear and clearly still prone to censorship," writes user jenniferolls. However, some creators do seem largely happy with the change. "This makes editing shorts significantly easier. I cannot believe I've actually experienced a YouTube update that's benefitted me and not detracted from my experience uploading here. Finally I can say thank you," said NetWinder.